PDF, 1536K - Measure DHS

urbanized areas of the country. Nevertheless, even in Addis Ababa, one in nine children dies before the
fifth birthday. The corresponding rates are about one in four in the Affar and Gambela regions.
As expected, mortality declines markedly as mother’s education increases. Children born to
mothers with no education suffered the highest mortality. According to the survey results, educating
mothers through secondary and higher levels reduces neonatal mortality by 60 percent, infant mortality
by 47 percent, and under-five mortality by 55 percent, compared with mothers who had no education.
Children of women who believe that men are not justified in beating their wives for any reason are less
likely to die in childhood than children of mothers who believe that men are justified in beating their
wives for at least one reason. This is presumably because these women enjoy or perceive themselves to
enjoy a higher status than other women and hence are able to exercise greater autonomy in matters
pertaining to children’s health.
Survival of infants and children is also highly influenced by access to maternal health care. This
is clearly evident from the data in Table 8.2 and especially in the case of neonatal death rates, which are
33 percent lower when either antenatal or delivery care is utilized and 92 percent lower when both
antenatal and delivery care are utilized than when neither service is utilized.
Infant and Child Mortality * 101